Redbridge is a

London Underground The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or as the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent home counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England. The Undergro ...

station on Eastern Avenue in the Redbridge district of

Ilford Ilford is a large List of areas of London, town in East London, England, northeast of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Redbridge, Ilford is within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London. It had a po ...

East London East London is the part of London, England, east of the ancient City of London and north of the River Thames as it begins to widen. East London developed as London Docklands, London's docklands and the primary industrial centre. The expansion of ...

. It is on the Hainault Loop of the Central line between

Wanstead Wanstead () is an area in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge to the east and Manor Park to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is located 8 m ...

and Gants Hill stations, and is located in Zone 4. The station opened on 14 December 1947 as an extension of the Central line to form the new part of the Hainault loop.

History

The extension of the Central line eastwards from Liverpool Street was first proposed in 1935 by the

London Passenger Transport Board The London Passenger Transport Board was the organisation responsible for local public transport in London and its environs from 1933 to 1948. In common with all London transport authorities from 1933 to 2000, the public name and brand was Londo ...

. The station at Ilford West (Red House) would be one of three stations in Tube tunnel between Leytonstone and Newbury Park. Construction had begun in the mid 1930s, but was delayed by the onset of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. During the war, the completed train tunnels at Redbridge were used by the

Plessey The Plessey Company plc was a British electronics, defence and telecommunications company. It originated in 1917, growing and diversifying into electronics. It expanded after World War II by acquisition of companies and formed overseas compani ...

company as an

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

parts factory between 1942 and 1945. The station was opened on 14 December 1947. The station building was designed by renowned Tube architect,

Charles Holden Charles Henry Holden (12 May 1875 – 1 May 1960) was an English architect best known for designing many London Underground stations during the 1920s and 1930s, the Underground Electric Railways Company of London's headquarters at 55 Broadwa ...

, who also designed the other two below ground stations on the branch. Originally, the station was to have been named "West Ilford", then this changed to "Red House", before the final decision was made on "Redbridge" (also given in the plans as "Red Bridge"). Since the station was built, a large roundabout has been constructed next to it, being a junction between the A406 (originally the terminal section of the M11), and the A12. Redbridge is often described as the shallowest deep level (as opposed to

cut-and-cover A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two Portal (architecture), portals common at each end, though ther ...

) station on the network, as it is only beneath the surface. However, this is misleading as the station tunnel was constructed by the cut-and-cover method, with the running lines descending into genuine tube tunnels at either end of the platforms – similar to the Central line platforms at

Mile End Mile End is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and part of the East End of London, East End. It is east of Charing Cross. Situated on the part of the London-to-Colchester road ...

. In July 2011 it was granted Grade II listed building status by English Heritage.

Connections

London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus s ...

routes 66, 145 and 366 and night route N8 serve the station.

Inside the station

Image:Redbridge station westbound look east.JPG, Westbound platform looking east Image:Redbridge station eastbound look west.JPG, Eastbound platform looking west Image:Redbridge_station_entrance north.JPG, Image:Redbridge_station ticket_hall ceiling.JPG,

References

External links

Redbridge station at CharlesHolden.com

RedRag (Redbridge Roundabout Action Group) achieves bus rerouting at the station
{{central line navbox Central line (London Underground) stations London Underground Night Tube stations Tube stations in the London Borough of Redbridge Railway stations in Great Britain opened in 1947 Charles Holden railway stations Art Deco architecture in London 1947 establishments in England Grade II listed buildings in the London Borough of Redbridge Grade II listed railway stations